Abraham was one of the main characters of the Old Testament. It was Abraham who was called by God out of early Babylon to become the father of the nation of Israel. Abraham is the model for faith, according to the book of Romans, and certainly is a model of discipleship. Abraham left everything familiar to follow a God he didn't know toward a land he had never seen. But Abraham didn't just pick up and move to the Promised Land. As with most journeys of faith, Abraham wandered a bit. But in his wanderings, Abraham became a shepherd-king, powerful enough that he was summoned by the kings of cities to join with them in military alliances (Genesis 14).
So what do we learn about the Good Shepherd from this shepherd-king?
We learn the journey of faith from these two shepherds. Abraham and Jesus both followed God for the long haul. Although the main mission of Jesus was the cross, He didn't head there right after baptism. Jesus ministered for three years after His baptism, moving around and visiting small villages. Jesus called His disciples to follow Him around for a few years and pick things up as they went. In other words, neither Abraham nor Jesus were particularly effecient with their time.
The life of faith is not a formula or a ten-step program. It's a process. Eugene Peterson calls it a "Long Obedience in the Same Direction," in his book by the same name. We can't always plan that process, nor can we predict where it is going. All we can do is take a step of faith and trust that the Good Shepherd will lead us the rest of the way.
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